A killer superset!

This article is about a superset routine that will challenge both your muscles and your willpower, but believe us: it’s worth trying every now and then!

There are a whole lot of techniques to increase training intensity. Supersets, trisets, drop sets, short rest breaks, FST-7, 21s and so on. I’m pretty sure you have already tried one or more of these. But I wonder if you have ever been so crazy or hungry for something extra that you combined two or more of these. It’s worth trying sometimes, even if only for the mental challenge ;)

Now we picked two of the above: supersets and drop sets. Each of these techniques are quite hardcore even on their own. So it is not recommended to apply them in each workout. But now, let’s make a twist and combine them both!

Kill your arms!

Alright, we are not totally crazy sadistic psychos, so we are not presenting chest-back supersets to you, only a pretty little biceps-triceps superset routine. It will almost be like a regular superset workout, with one tiny twist: in each exercise the last set will be a drop set!

Let’s see how does it work in real life:

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Rest

Bicep curls on a Scott bench

in supersets with

Machine dips

3*

12-20

1 1/2 min.**

Hammer curls

in supersets with

Overhead tricep extensions

3*

12-20

1 min.**

One-arm concentration curls

in supersets with

Rope high pulley tricep extensions

3*

20<

1 min.**

*the last set should be a drop set

**rest between supersets

Now let’s see it in detail: Let’s begin with bicep curls on a Scott bench plus dips, either on a machine or between two benches with weight plates on your belly. It’s up to you: if your arms are strong enough, you might even do weighted dips. It should preferably be a version you do regularly and there should be a way to reduce load. You’re gonna have 3 sets. The first and the second one will be regular supersets. This means, you do a set of bicep curls on the Scott bench (don’t go below 12 reps) and then, without rest, there comes a set of dips. Here too, you should not go below 12 reps. But in the third set, when you are on the verge of failure on the Scott bench, take some of the weight off the barbell and do as many reps as you can with this lighter load. Then, take off some more weight and again, do as many reps as you can. When you are done, let’s head for the dips: Start with the original weight or maybe with some extra, and reduce load in 2 or 3 sets like you did for the biceps. The maximum length of rest breaks between supersets is 1 1/2 minutes. And remember: NO rest between drop sets!

After you have finished this, you must feel like your arms are about to blast. So you can go on with the next superset: Overhead dumbbell tricep extensions combined with hammer curls. Another 2 of regular supersets and a third one with drop sets as in the previous exercises.

And last but not least, let’s finish off both muscle groups with some concentration bicep curls in supersets with rope high pulley tricep extensions, following the same pattern.

By this time, you most be totally down-and-out. Since the triceps is a larger muscle group than the biceps, you might add some extra sets of rope high pulley extensions at the end, if you can make it. But you might not be “in the mood”.

You must keep in mind that this kind of shocking workout should not be done on a regular basis, only occasionally. But whether you have come to a plateau or you are just bored of your everyday workout routine, it’s a good idea to try (at first sight) crazy stuff like that every now and then, because the results they produce are crazy too, if you are doing it right!